Things certainly are different with the Oakland Athletics this off-season. The team’s refusal to trade left-hander Brett Anderson amounts to the latest proof.
A year ago, the A’s were coming a 74-win season, their worst since 2006. General manager Billy Beane saw little reason to keep the club together, particularly when the salaries of several of his better pitchers were starting to rise.
So, Beane made a series of trades that initially drew heavy criticism – and later became the foundation for one of the great turnarounds in recent baseball history.
The Athletics actually improved after moving right-hander Trevor Cahill, left-hander Gio Gonzalez and closer Andrew Bailey, shocking the baseball world by winning 94 games and the AL West title.
Well, Anderson is in a position not unlike where Gonzalez and Cahill were a year ago, set to earn $5.5 million in 2013 with club options of $8 million in ’14 and $12 million in ’15.
Naturally, several teams have inquired about Ander

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